SHANE Breen won a five-star 1.45m on the opening day of the Longines Global Champions Tour in Rome, Italy.

The Tipperary native guided Team Z7’s Z7 Ipswich to a double clear in 23.49 seconds to earn €6,375, beating of Belgium’s Abdel Said into second place, while Britain’s Samel El Dahan finished third with Joe Sloan’s home-bred nine-year-old gelding WKD Toronoto (Tornesch x Carnaval Drum).

Denis Lynch was runner-up in Saturday’s 1.55m Table A with Onyx Consulting’s 15-year-old gelding Cristello 2. The pair picked up €19,200 when producing a speedy round in 68.87, just behind French winner Julien Epaillard and Caracole de la Roque (0/ 65.84).

In a thrilling finish to Saturday evening’s Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Rome, Germany’s Christian Kukuk won his very first LGCT Grand Prix aboard his impressive stallion Mumbai finished top of the podium and earned his golden ticket to the LGCT Super Grand Prix this November.

With a blistering time of 42.68 seconds, Kukuk finished ahead of two-time LGCT Champion Ben Maher on Faltic HB who posted an impressive 43.35 seconds.

Rounding off the podium was the winner of the LGCT Grand Prix of Paris, Marlon Zanotelli and Like a Diamond van het Schaeck in a time of 43.62 seconds showing just how close it was.